You’ve successfully listed your property on Airbnb. Congratulations! However, you want to be successful at it, and listing your property is only half the battle. Now you have to create a plan to manage your property and keep it in a state that meets your guest’s expectations. This can be very overwhelming, so we’ve put together a comprehensive list to help you manage your Airbnb property.

bondi beach Eight Common Tasks Required to Manage Your Airbnb Property

Although there are arguably hundreds of small tasks and dozens of large tasks that come with successfully managing your Airbnb property, we’ve picked out the eight biggest tasks you have to do between every booking.

1. Cleaning

You may be surprised to find out how much cleanliness standards vary from person to person and culture to culture. Your goal is to be on par with or better than your local hotels. This means going in after each booking and doing a comprehensive clean. You have to do this between each booking, and it can take some hours to do a complete clean on your own. A thorough clean include but is not limited to:

Wipe down all surfaces
Clean glass and stainless steel appliances
Sweep, mop and vacuum floors
Change linens
Wash bedding and linens
Clean the kitchen including inside appliances, dishwasher, dishes, etc
Clean the bathroom
Straighten up the bedrooms, living room, dining area etc
Restock the necessities (toilet paper, sheets, linens, soap, towels, pillows, silverware and more)
Update your first aid kit

2. Managing Guest Bookings

It’s essential that you handle your guest bookings through Airbnb. Your rating depends on it, and you have to maintain at least ten bookings per year to achieve Superhost status. You’re directly responsible for managing every aspect of your bookings, and this includes setting up your rates and changing them as the area rates fluctuate, setting your availability, keeping an eye on reviews and much more. This can be a full-time job in itself, and you have to do everything you can not to cancel or double book your guests.

3. Answering Questions Before Bookings

Any potential guest can send you messages asking about aspects of your listing. To achieve Superhost status, you have 24 hours to answer any questions that come through. This can be difficult if you get busy or if someone sends you a question when you’re asleep. Most potential guests won’t wait around for hours for an answer before moving on, and you can miss out on bookings. If you live in a popular area, you could get a constant stream of questions.

4. Greeting Guests

Since you are the host, its best to greet your guests as they come into your home. While not essential, it is a perfect time to go over the rules for your home and the rental agreement. It’s best to coordinate a check-in and check-out time with your guests beforehand to smooth the process along. This is also where you do the key exchange and fill your guests in on fun things to do in the area. You don’t have to meet them in person, but it’s a nice touch.

5. Maintaining the Property

Property maintenance is huge. Remember, your guests are choosing to pay you to stay at your home instead of at a hotel. They deserve to have amenities and appliances that work. This means that you have to perform routine checks between bookings to ensure that everything is in good working order.

If it isn’t, it’s your responsibility to maintain the property and fix any issues. This could mean calling a plumber, fixing any locks that don’t work, replacing or repairing blinds or window coverings, fixing the appliances, and warning your guests if something doesn’t work correctly. You owe it to them to be upfront and honest.

6. Providing Clean Linen and Towels

Laundry can be time-consuming, and it’s essential that you do laundry between bookings. At the minimum, you should have one pillow for each guest, one towel, one bathmat and one washcloth. It’s your responsibility to change out and clean the linens and towels before your new guests check in. It would be best if you offered folded linen and towels. These linens and towels should be in good repair and free of stains, tears or holes. You may have to buy new ones as your bedding and towels wear out.

7. Arranging Insurance

Airbnb offers Host Protection Insurance for every host that participates on the platform. This insurance gives hosts primary liability insurance up to one million USD for third-party claims of property damage or bodily injury. It’s up to you to arrange for other or more comprehensive insurance coverage. Some insurance companies don’t cover short-term stays while others do, so it’s a good idea to shop around until you find the best coverage options that take into account everything you need. HomeHost has worked with ShareCover to provide insurance.  See https://sharecover.com/partners/homehost

8. Setting Up Safety Precautions

Your guests have the right to be safe while they stay at your Airbnb listing. It’s a good idea to note any potential hazards that may make your home unsuitable for children. You should also make a note of any potential risks and correct them, make sure your stairs come with railings, visually inspect your home between bookings, lock up any dangerous items and update your first aid kit. You also want to include your local emergency numbers, the nearest hospital number, your contact number and a backup contact number. Please make sure they are in easy reach.

Why Enlisting a Professional Airbnb Host is a Good Idea

You most likely have a busy life with a full-time job. Can you dedicate a good portion of your time to placing and maintaining your Airbnb listing? If you can’t, you’re cheating your guests out of a good experience, and your ratings will reflect this.

This is where a professional Airbnb Host’s services come into play. They have the experience and knowledge to go in and maintain your listing to the highest standards possible. They’ll worry about the day to day running, routine maintenance and everything it takes to make your listing successful, and you can concentrate on your life.

The stress will melt away, and you can start to enjoy the extra income that comes with having good ratings, more bookings and eventually increasing your rating to Superhost status.

Call HomeHost on 1300 171718 to find out how we can professionally manage your property on Airbnb